This week, the Water Cooler Podcast embarks on a bunch of firsts: looking at 'First Man,' the potential for a first female 'Genius,' and a ridiculously early first look at the 2019 Comedy Emmy race.

“Whitey on the Moon” opens the podcast. That must mean we’re talking about Damien Chazelle’s First Man. Opening in third place at the box office this weekend, behind new Oscar front runner A Star Is Born, First Man premiered at the the Venice Film Festival to several high profile rave reviews. Once it screened at the Telluride Film Festival, many Oscar watchers pegged it to be an Oscar front runner. Then, something happened along the way… We review the film and talk about its Oscar chances. Plus, why did the internet and critics turn against it after such a warm initial welcome?On the TV front, Brian Grazer is barreling forward with an Aretha Franklin-focused third season of Genius. That assumes he can gather the appropriate rights, of course. We talk about what this means for the anthology series (hint: it’s a game-changer) and who could play the great Aretha Franklin (hint: Jennifer Hudson is already starring in a Franklin biopic).

Finally, we take a look at the 2019 Comedy Emmy race with Veeppresumably back in the race.

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